Silver Knight Crimson Queen
by ThePrimeOne
Summary: In the final battle, the future Crimson Queen gives up her blood for an aspiring Silver Knight. Or, in which Petra gives a part of herself to save Ashe, and what that means for their future together. [Ashe/Petra, reupload]


The final battle against Nemesis was long and drawn out. Even in spite of forcing the poisonous swamp waters to recede in order to gain ground, the forces of the resurrected King Nemesis had just as quickly moved to corner them, forcing the battle into a long stalemate.

Then against all odds, Claude scored a lucky break, killing one of the shadows of the ten elites with a well placed arrow, the enemies front line falling like dominos until there were two. Claude's remaining forces that were fit to fight pressed on, a small group splintered off towards a shadowy soldier possessing a dark relic lead by Hilda.

Ashe followed her lead, firing a volley of arrows onto the shadow elite and his steed alongside Petra. The shadowy soldier weaved in and out of each arrow fired at him; while Hilda, Raphael and Marianne chased him down on foot, Hilda successfully cutting the shadow elite's steed with a Hand Axe.

Slowly losing momentum from the attack, the shadow elite suddenly skyrocketed into the air and immediately swooped down onto the small squad at blinding speeds, Ashe's arrows and Marianne's magic missing their targets completely.

Ashe watch the soldier's movements carefully as it came down to the ground faster by the second; even if he was without his glasses, Ashe knew something was wrong. Ashe quickly moved forward to close the gap before something alarming occurred to him; switching course and barrelling towards Petra, who lobbed more arrows at the shadow elite as it appeared right over Hilda, Raphael and Marianne's heads. "That soldier… he's heading straight for Hilda, Raphael and Marianne! There's no way he'd pick such a terrible place attack from… unless he's…!

…And just as he had predicted, the solider pulled the reigns suddenly and descended down on Petra instead. With little time to react Petra dropped her bow and arrow and tried to hold up her shield in defence. Ashe, with little concern for his own safety, shoulder tackled Petra into the ground, attempting to hold up his own shield in place to no avail.

The shadow elite, with its raised spear in the air, swung down at the moment Ashe with unguarded, cutting through fabric then into soft flesh, blood spilling out on to Ashe's clothes and onto the battlefield beneath him. Ashe tried to let out a scream, but quickly died in his throat. Petra stumbled over to Ashe, reaching out her hands towards him, catching Ashe's body before he fell to the ground, a large pillar of light appearing over Ashe; pierced flesh of the dark knight spilling out onto the ground not long after as Marianne, Hilda and Raphael attacked the shadow elite from behind, letting it and the steed fade into non-existence.

Ashe dug his hands into the ground as he coughed up blood. "Ah… you're okay… that's good," Ashe smiled. "Don't worry, I did what I had to as a Knight," Ashe smiled as brightly as he could.

"But I do kinda wish… I wish I could've swam to the depths of the ocean with you… Petra."

"Ashe…!"

"I… I'm sorry."

The scream of his name from the Brigid Princess being the last thing he heard before his world went dark.

"No, no, no! Ashe!"

"Oh no, Ashe!" Hilda exclaimed, barrelling towards the aspiring Knight. Raphael appeared alongside her, standing almost frozen upon the sight of the wound on his fellow Golden Deer member. Shaking his head, he pulled on Hilda's sleeve. The Goneril noble stopped in her tracks, looking between Raphael and the gruesome scene before her.

"Marianne, you stay here and tend to his wounds, we'll go find Linhardt!" Hilda exclaimed, quickly taking on the role of a leader as Marianne dismounted her horse, healing tome in hand. "I'll take care of him. Go defeat Nemesis!" With an affirming nod, the two ran off towards the site of the larger battle with King Nemesis.

"Petra, please, let me look at him," Marianne asked in quite the forceful tone. Petra nodded and waited for Linhardt to arrive.

Within the minute, Hilda came back dragging Linhardt along with her. "Goddess," Linhardt said with genuine shock, his eyebrows furrowing upon seeing Ashe. "Marianne, I trust you have closed up the wound?"

The Holy Knight nodded. "I did but… it's not going to be enough, is it?"

Linhardt shook his head, observing Ashe's blood soaked clothes, and puddles of blood nearby. "No… he's not going to survive with all that blood he's lost… unless…" Linhardt trailed off, spotting Petra who was firing arrows at nearby enemies, protecting. Marianne's eyes widened.

"Do… do you think we can pull it off here?"

Linhardt looked down. "I… I don't know. But we won't know until we try," he said with slightly more confidence. "Petra!" he called out, signalling for Hilda and Raphael to switch places with her for now.

"Linhardt. Please tell me the good news," she mumbled, falling to her knees as she clutched Ashe's still warm hand.

"The good news is that there's still a chance he can survive. The bad is that, unfortunately, those chances are rather low," Linhardt lamented, quickly forcing himself to put up a mask of confidence. "But we'll need you in order for him to survive."

"It is me who you… Yes. I will do it. For Ashe."

"Even if…" Linhardt spoke before cutting himself off. There was no time for hesitation. "Okay then, lets begin…" 

* * *

Days had passed since the Alliance's victory over the Empire and Those who Slither in the Dark. The unification of Fodlan had finally completed, and the continent was finally able to start the process of healing from the effects of the half decade war. Among the many wounded who still rested in recovery at Garreg Mach, one man in particular, Ashe Duran, was resting in a private room, overseen by some of Fodlan's best healers. No thanks to the miracle performed by Linhardt and Marianne, Ashe lived, although his body barely managed to scrape by.

Nonetheless, a certain Brigid Princess was there at every step of the way on his road to recovery, spending what little free time she had at Ashe's bedside, reflecting on her time in Fodlan and with the sleeping knight before her.

In the late hours of the fifth day after the battle against Nemesis ended, Petra, deciding to embolden herself and took Ashe's hand, clasping it between her own. Pressing her full hands against her forehead, she began to pray.

After some time, Petra felt something move in her hands. The Brigid Princess jolted out of her daze and stood up, watching Ashe move around in his bed, his eyes fluttering open to meet his.

"Ashe… you are awakened!"

"Ah… Petra? Where… am I?"

"You are at the monastery. You have been in a deep slumbering for days now," Petra whispered, both her hands gripped around Ashe's right hand. "I thought you would never awaken again, I thought I…" Petra trailed off, sitting down and looking down to the ground.

Ashe frowned. "Oh Petra… I'm so sorry, i-it's just that in that moment I-I…" Ashe mumbled, stopping himself before blurting something out embarrassing.

"Ashe? Do you not feel wellness? Your face looks fire. I can ask Manuela to provide assistance," Petra asked with genuine concern. Ashe cleared his throat and quickly shook his head.

"O-oh no, no, no, I-I'm fine Petra, really!" Ashe exclaimed. Petra nodded. "I see… I think I have understanding, I… O-oh, apologies Ashe," Petra apologised, letting go of Ashe's hand, the lingering feel of her slender fingers on Ashe's hands sent shivers down his spine. A strange air of awkward silence settled in over the two of them, Ashe clearing his throat in order to dispel it.

"So, um, Petra!"

"Y-yes Ashe?"

"What… what happened out there? What happened after I passed out?"

Petra's face grew serious, a sight Ashe always found rather unsettling. "After your foolish stunt, I tried to reach my voice out to you, to keep you awake. Then you told me something before you closed your eyes…" Petra trailed off, her face flushed with a light shade of red. "M-Marianne and Linhardt then tended to your deeply wound, Petra paused, her heart slowly beating faster. "And then… Linhardt and Marianne asked myself to participate in the transferal of blood ritual, so they could save you," Petra looked down, her hands shaking.

Ashe gawked at her, attempting to sit up in alarm. "P-Petra I- GAH!" Ashe groaned in searing pain, forcing his body to lie back down, Ashe gripping the sheets over where his stomach was. Petra, in mindless panic, tossed the sheets to the side to see what was wrong, only to be met with a rather gruesome sight. The scar of the attack from Nemesis' final elite soldier left a permanent scar from the top right to the bottom left end of his stomach*.

"A-Ashe…!" Petra gasped, staring at the wound, the silver haired man's eyes widened in surprise as he forced himself up to look at the wound. Petra put a hand on his shoulder and gently pushed him down.

"Ashe. Please do not harm yourself. I am not wishing for you to be hurt anymore," Petra firmly said, her body leaned over Ashe's own, the two staring into each other's eyes.

_'Her eyes are pretty…'_

_'Silver eyes… I never known how mystifying they are..."_

Ashe blinked and cleared his throat, Petra immediately leaning back away from him. "R-right. I'll promise to keep that in mind, Petra," he weakly smiled. "But are you okay? I saw you trembling before and I wanted to make sure you were okay," the young man explained himself. "I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable."

Petra shook her head. "No. I did not feel uncomfortableness or fear. I…" Petra stopped, feeling an intense heat rise within her face. "It was the transferal of blood," Petra said. "Even if it was to save your life, I misplaced the idea of the ritual's significance for Brigid culture."

Ashe blinked in confusion. "I… I'm afraid I don't understand."

Petra cleared her throat, trying to instil as much confidence in her voice and posture as she could. "I have understanding. In Brigid culture there is a practice between two people at a certain ceremony… but not many practice now like the days of old," Petra began. "The ritual is where two people make cuts on their arms or hands in opposite place. When the moment is arriving, they connect then hands or arms. It is a blood pact, a symbol of commitment to one another."

"Commitment?" Ashe asked in bewilderment.

"Yes," Petra nodded. "The ritual that was performed to save you is quite similar in a way. I exchanged my blood… so it could be mixed with yours…" Petra said quietly. "The ritual of blood transferal… is very like the one performed at some Brigid weddings." Petra blushed.

"Petra, what are you getting at?" Ashe asked with a blush almost as intense as hers, despite full knowing the implications behind her statement.

"I think you know," she said simply. "I cannot ignore what my actions for saving you have done to my soul… my body," Petra simpered. "I cannot help but feel like I formed an unbreakable bond with you. That we have joined together as one in body and soul."

"Like we're married…"

Petra shied away from Ashe's face with a shake of her head. "Perhaps, but not true. It's like I'm married to you, yet your vows remain unsaid to me."

An awkward silence filled the room, soon interrupted by Ashe. "I- I see…"

"Do not have mistakes. If you do not feel the way that I do then I shall accept as such…"

"Petra." Ashe spoke with a rare tone, one almost devoid of emotion. "Do you love me?" he asked bluntly. She silently nodded. "Yes… I do."

Ashe nodded, mustering all the confidence he could within him. "Do you… do you remember what I said to you before I passed out?"

Petra clamped her mouth shut, looking away from him in thought. "I…"

_"But I do kinda wish… I wish I could've swam to the depths of the ocean with you… Petra."_

"I do," she said, reciting what Ashe said back to him.

"I still want to, Petra. More than anything," Ashe said with utter confidence. Gritting his teeth, he push himself but and against the pain. "And when we do…" Ashe smiled brightly. "I'll exchange my blood with you, and complete our vows with each other."

Petra blinked slack jawed in shock. "Ashe, you possess the same feelings as I do…?"

"For five years," he began. "You've been a never-ending fascination to me for the last five years, even when I didn't see you. You were always on my mind every day, every dream and every battle," Ashe bashfully smiled. "You could say that talking to you, much less seeing you again a large part of what motivated me to keep pushing forward. And I think… no, I know I'm glad it was you that stole my heart, Petra."

The redhead balled her fists, unable to muster a response to his loving words.

And so, she reached over to him, embraced his face and kissed him, their faces heated up with such intensity that they could feel the heat off each other's face. Despite Ashe freezing up, he took it upon himself to deepen the kiss. Soon the two pulled away, gasping for air.

"That was…"

"Wonderful… so very wonderful," Petra finished for Ashe.

"More than that," Ashe chuckled, looking at their hands, intertwined and gently rubbing their palms with loving affection.

_"I love you, my silver Knight,"_ Petra beamed at Ashe, not realising she spoke in her native language. "Oh! I-"

"Petra. I have something to say," he interrupted her, grasping her hands within his, closing his eyes. Petra opened her mouth to speak, but let no words out, her mouth hanging open in shock upon hearing Ashe speak.

_"Spirits of Earth, please be guiding us home for all of our days. Spirits of Water, please be filling our cups with kindness and good fortune. Spirits of Wind, please be gifting us freedom and divine protection." _Ashe spoke out softly. _"You I love, my crimson Queen,"_ Ashe smoothly replied in her native tongue, unable to suppress a chuckle at the Brigid royal's face of pure surprise.

"Ashe! You just spoke the promise vows of Brigid in the Brigid language! How did you…?"

The silver haired boy chuckled. "I… spent some time learning the language of Brigid from any little resource I could scour across the continent before we reunited at Garreg Mach, though it's a little broken," Ashe smiled. "I was hoping to put it to use one day in case I ever had to work with Brigid forces as a Knight, though I didn't expect to be using it to confess to you." Ashe laughed.

"Somehow, I thought that's not the only reason. You had quite the eagerness to promise yourself to me, even though you wanted to wait until we got to Brigid," Petra giggled with a wide smirk. "I suppose I lack the choice now, it is impressive- I mean, imperative, I fulfil my promise to establish an order of Knights in Brigid for you and make you it's first Knight – my Knight." Though he did not speak of it, Ashe was thankful for Petra's insistence. He awkwardly laughed and blushed, the scratching of the back of his neck already an indicator to Petra that he had intended to propose in such a way for some time now.

"Ashe?"

"Y-yes, Petra?"

"I have the favour to ask for you…"

Some time later, an overly eager and blushing Byleth and Claude happened to stumbled into the infirmary, both stopping and giggling at the sight of Ashe and Petra lying in bed together, hands joined together as they both dreamed of swimming in the depths of Brigid's waters with each other for all eternity.

* * *

Guess who's back?! I finally not only finished all three routes for Three Houses (what's a Church Route?) but I finished Astral Chain too! I need that 3H story DLC soon...  
Just a heads up, I really don't know what I was doing with Ashe in this fic. This was primarily for two things:

A. I wanted a way for me to get back into writing again after the two week plus hiatus and...  
2\. Practicing writing for Petra's dialogue. I am considering making a continuation of this fic, but we'll see. I'll actually have to put in effort into writing him there.

Regardless, R&R, and have a good one!

P.S: follow me on twitter at ThePrimeOne!


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